War of Silk and Steel
The War of Silk and Steel was a conflict between the Lion, Crane and the Dragon Clan. The Lion vs. the Dragon On the Month of the Rooster of 1167, the Lion marched against the Dragon in retribution for a slight to their honor incurred during the War of the Rich Frog. The conflict did not have major engagements and was little more than a series of skirmishes. Attacking the mountains with a large force proved difficult, because the location of the Dragonfly, the lands of which could not be attacked without without incurring the wrath of Isawa Sezaru. Timeline (Lotus) Path of Hope, page The conflict was engineered by the Lion Clan Champion, Ikoma Otemi, who would prove the Empire to respect the Lion once more, after the Lion defeat in the War of the Rich Frog. Dawn of Lotus, The Lion Clan, by Shawn Carman The Kitsu Daimyo Kitsu Katsuko made a ritual to commune with the Lion ancestors, who endorsed the war, their honor demanded vengeance. Call Upon the Dead (Rise of the Shogun flavor) The Crane are Involved A group of Dragon Nemuranai Hunters, operating in Crane provinces without authorization while seeking a sinister artifact, inadvertently discovered a secret cache of weapons and gaijin pepper hidden by Daidoji Harriers in case of conflict with the Lion. A group of harriers who were in the area attacked the Dragon to conceal their secret. During the fighting, the gaijin pepper detonated, leaving only a single combatant on each side alive but seriously wounded. Training Grounds 2, p. The Dragon sent Mirumoto Mareshi and the Emerald Magistrate Mirumoto Narumi with a party of magistrates to investigate the posesion of this ilegal substance at Kosaten Shiro. The bold Dragon movement was an attempt to threaten to expose the Crane in order to force them to withdraw their support of the Lion attack, but it eventually would lead in the total involvement of the Crane in the war. They were detained by the acting lord of the castle, Asahina Keitaro. He did it to keep the secrecy that the Crane had captive the former Daidoji Daimyo and currently Lost, Daigotsu Rekai, who had been held captive in the dungeons Rulebook Story (Training Grounds II) following her capture by Asahina Sekawa. Vacant Throne, p. 17 Kosaten Shiro is destroyed The castle was sacked by a small force of Dragon samurai who released the Dragon captives. The small group, combined with the Dragon not being at war with the Crane, took the defenses by surprise. The Dragon struck and fled, and the ensuing fire caused smoke that could be seen from miles away. Rekai exploited the Dragon attack to escape and set fire to a significant quantity of gaijin pepper that the Daidoji Harriers had concealed within the castle for storage. The resulting explosions inflicted a severe damage in the castle structure. Masters of War Web Supplement, p. 3 Mirumoto Mareshi sent Mirumoto Kei back to report that Kosaten Shiro had fallen, Tourney fiction (European Championships) then pulled his forces back to the southern Dragon Heart Plain to await further orders. Imperial Edict broken The Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Satsu decided to make war to the Crane until they fulfilled the Imperial Law that forbidden the use of gaijin pepper. He did not expose the Crane in the court, but unleashed his forces. The Empire did not understand exactly why the Dragon began the attacks on the Crane. Vacant Throne, p. 27 The Dragon refused to speak on their war with the Crane and did offer no reasoning or remorse of any kind. Imminent Threat (The True Test Rulebook story), by Rusty Priske Lion and Crane against the Dragon The Lion forces faced continual boarder skirmishes with the Unicorn but he bulk of the Lion marched north, with their Crane allies, to make war with the Dragon. Box texts (Drums of War) Kakita Nakazo was appointed as taisa of the Crane army, and the southern Dragon lands saw heavy fighting as the Crane and Dragon had begun fighting in earnest, with the Lion participating intermittently. To Defend the Emperor, Part 2, by Shawn Carman Trade Agreements The Dragon Clan sought to sponsorship Minor Clans in the Imperial Court in exchange of rice trade agreements. The war was taxing their resources to their very limit. The Ox Clan accepted the offer, but the Monkey Clan had reached an agreement with the Scorpion Clan, who were facing a starvation after the Fortune Bishamon removed his blessings on their crops. Worldly Matters, by Shawn Carman Unicorn distracts the Lion Another Unicorn incursion into the Northern Lion lands, prompting the Akodo forces to be relocated. It eliminated a blockade that separated Nanashi Mura from the Dragon homeland. The Dragon forces there moved to Kitsuki provinces. Vacant Throne, p. 42 The Dragon armies pushed the Crane back across Dragonfly River, but could not maintain the lands south of Shiro Kitsuki River Crossing (Rise of the Shogun flavor) when Akodo Shigetoshi arrived to reinforce the Crane. The Father's Legacy, by Brian Yoon Tamori Wotan held alone the Daidoji troops from the western pass to Shiro Kitsuki, during the Battle at Kitsuki Pass. Tamori Wotan (Khan's Defiance flavor) The Tournament Matches, by the L5R Story Team The Dragon were unable to withstand the two-pronged attack and fell back to Shiro Kitsuki. Vacant Throne, p. 44 Landscapes, by Nancy Sauer Shiro Kitsuki Besieged Shiro Kitsuki was besieged by and armies led by Doji Masaru. The had supplied the Dragon with the rice they need to survive the winter, allowing the clan to continue its war. Khan's Defiance Storyline Preview (Imperial Herald v2#20), by Shawn Carman and Rusty Priske The winter obliged all parties to halt their operations. Will of Iron (Imperial Herald v2#21), by Shawn Carman and Fred Wan Lion withdrawal In 1169, following the march by the Unicorn upon the capital, Shigetoshi withdrew the Akodo army from the Dragon conflict and brought it to Toshi Ranbo. The Truest Test, Part I, by Shawn Carman Their Crane allies understood his new reassignment. Two-Front War (Khan's Defiance flavor) Conclusion The conflict ended quite quickly when the Khan Moto Chagatai invaded Toshi Ranbo. During the assault on the city, the Dragon Clan Champion, Togashi Satsu met with Crane Clan Champion Doji Domotai and the two settled their differences quickly and quietly over a cup of tea. Doji Domotai apologized for her clan's use of gaijin pepper and Togashi Satsu warned Domotai that a more insidious threat than the Daidoji Harriers existed in her clan. The True Test, Part III, by the Legend of the Five Rings Story Team Gift The Crane ceded Taikitsu Mura to the Dragon, a small but highly productive agricultural holding, near Toshi Ranbo. Tales of the Emerald Championship (Imperial Herald v2#23), by Shawn Carman Known Casualties * Doji Ran * Hitomi Suguhara * Kitsuki Yasunobu * Mirumoto Binya * Mirumoto Kawanari * Ngjk External Links * War of Silk and Steel (Training Grounds 2) Silk and Steel